‘Safe House’ surges to top spot at B.O.

U's spy thriller projected to earn $28.5 mil in four days

In an impressive surge to No. 1 at the domestic B.O., Universal’s Denzel Washington starrer “Safe House” grossed over President’s Day weekend an estimated three-day take of $24 million, with the studio projecting the pic to earn $28.5 million in four days.

“Safe House,” in its second outing, dropped just 40% using a three-day weekend comparison. Overall four-day B.O., meanwhile, was up approximately 10% over last year’s holiday frame.

A Sony pair nabbed the following Stateside rankings: Holdover weeper “The Vow” earned a fantastic four-day gross of $27.4 million, followed by newcomer “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance” (budgeted for a reported $57 million), which debuted to an early estimated $25.5 million through Monday.

“The Vow,” from Screen Gems and Spyglass Entertainment, has cumed a stellar $85.5 million domestically in 10 days, making it already the highest-grossing pic ever for Screen Gems.

Also bowing this weekend, Fox’s romantic actioner “This Means War” earned a solid $17.6 million in three days. That’s with “The Vow” still attracting a strong share of post-Valentine’s Day couples and female audiences.

Disney’s Studio Ghibli toon “The Secret World of Arrietty” grossed in four days an projected $8 million, making it the biggest Stateside debut for the Japanese toon shop. Consider, however, “Arrietty” opened the widest of any Ghibli pic at 1,522 domestic locations.

Though as the top choice for families, Warner Bros.-New Line’s holdover “Journey 2: The Mysterious Island” collected an estimated $20.1 million through Sunday, down only 27% from the pic’s three-day opening last weekend. “Journey 2″ has tallied so far $53.2 million domestically.